Worcester principal accepts national honor in US capital

Saturday

Sep 21, 2013 at 8:28 PMSep 21, 2013 at 9:15 PM

By Shujie Leng, SPECIAL TO THE TELEGRAM & GAZETTE

WASHINGTON — Worcester Technical High School Principal Sheila Harrity joined her family and 100 other top principals from around the country Friday night, as she was formally recognized as a "National High School Principal Of The Year" at a black-tie gala.

Ms. Harrity, who was surprised two weeks ago to learn she had been selected for the honor by the National Association of Secondary School Principals, voiced a combination of humility and pride in accepting the award — a grant of $5,000 for school improvement — as she was greeted by waves of applause from her peers.

"This has really been a life moment. And it's been an extraordinary opportunity. I actually feel I've grown immensely as a principal, as we sat together and shared conversations and best practices," she said at the dinner.

Ms. Harrity described herself as being "like a girl in a candy shop," after posing for photos with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, who delivered a speech at the event, which leads up to National Principals Month in October.

"It's very important for principals to reach out to legislators," Ms. Harrity said. "Who can better speak out to legislators on policy than principals themselves? I heard that loud and clear in (Mr. Duncan's) speech."

Discussing Worcester Technical High School in a brief interview at a reception before the dinner, Ms. Harrity said she is always proud to introduce the school as a "fish bowl," where representatives of other vocational schools around the country can fly in, borrow the school's best practices and "build their own Worcester Tech" back home.

It was a long day for Ms. Harrity, who began Friday testifying at a hearing of the House subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education. The hearing focused on how to improve the so-called Perkins Act, which provides federal funding to states to help high school and community college students learn vocational skills and gain experience to prepare for the workforce.

Facing annually shrinking grants from the Perkins Act, along with further decreases because of sequestration (automatic across-the-board cuts in federal spending that kicked in last spring in an effort to reduce the federal deficit), Ms. Harrity told lawmakers at the hearing: "What I would recommend is that there are less requirements for the money in regards to having some more flexibility. ... The ability to use the money in various ways would be very helpful."

Her crowded schedule last week, which included meetings with U.S. Rep. James McGovern, D-Worcester, as well as aides to state Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., left Ms. Harrity with little chance to tour the nation's capital. She is slated to fly to Dallas in January to speak to a national conference held by the National Association of Secondary School Principals.

When asked about plans as a model for high school principals, Ms. Harrity replied: "When I introduce myself, I say: 'I'm a proud principal at Worcester Tech.' I hope to stay there. And I don't have the aspirations of superintendency or whatever. I just really enjoy (the principal's job). For me, it's an educator's dream, and that's priceless."